A Focus on Florida Prisons

Wendy spoke from the heart about the current prison system in Florida, where her son has been incarcerated for the past five years., She has become a real advocate for prisoners, even meeting with members of the Department of Corrections in Tallahassee. Having accumulated an incredible amount of information, she spoke about the abuse that takes place and the lack of real rehabilitation and education opportunities. The obligatory 10-20-life sentences ties the hands of judges, who would prefer to have more control over the sentencing. This was a very timely topic as the Florida Legislature is currently considering legislation to provide outside oversight over the prison system, where a large number of prisoners have died in the past year and many others have been subjected to abuse. Theresa Callahan had sent comments about prisons that were read following Wendy's talk. They can be read here.

There is also a petition to put an amendment to the constitution on the ballot entitled "Voting Restoration Amendment", which would restore voting rights, when all other rights have been restored for felons. Copies are available in the Democratic office waiting for your signature.